Many offices have a number of computer terminals interconnected to a host computer or controller and to one another through some form of local area netWork. Complementary parallel telephone lines are usually also included with the wiring system. In such networks it is valuable to be able to readily change the interconnections within the system and, of course, important to be able to wire the system initially at minimum cost.
One such system is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,811, issued Aug. 2, 1988, for "Data And Voice Transmission Using Composite Cables And Punch-Down Blocks".
My present system provides a different form of remote interconnection box adapted for us with differing types of composite cable. It is particularly adapted to be used with the standard IBM Types 1 and 2 cables, which includes two shielded twisted pairs of wires for data transmission enclosed within a braid and, in the type 2, four twisted pairs of wires for voice transmission.
In the past interconnection of the braid presented unfavorable cost and time factors. The braid at each end of every cable had to be connected to a wire by attaching a ferrule to the braid. This problem is obviated in the present invention.